Our thanks go to Jack Ingstad, of the Eagle County Administration, who allowed us to use this photo.
Eagle County is located in the Rocky Mountains to the west of Denver. I-70 runs east-west through the middle of the county. The Ute Indians claimed Eagle County lands for summer hunting and fishing grounds before Europeans explored the area. The first reliable account of European presence in the Eagle River Valley was in 1840 when Kit Carson guided the Fremont party through the region. The lead carbonate strike in Leadville in 1874 brought many prospectors to the valley which became Eagle County. Once dependent upon mining and agriculture, today's economy is driven by tourism. The Vail and Beaver Creek ski resorts are located in Eagle County. The evolution of Vail into an international resort is credited to the famous 10th Mountain Division ski troops who were introduced to the valley while training at Camp Hale in the 1940s. Following World War II, a group of former Army buddies returned and developed a ski resort, Vail. The county now is home to 43,027 permanent residents.
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